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Public Protest Over State of Band at U. of Oklahoma

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An unusual ad has appeared in newspapers in Oklahoma and Texas criticizing the University of Oklahoma's leadership of the Pride of Oklahoma, a marching band that performs at football games (at left), The Tulsa Worldreported. The ad -- which quotes many students anonymously -- notes that a requirement to join the band is to agree not to criticize it in any public way. Some students say that the band, once considered one of the best in the country, has fallen considerably in recent years. David Boren, president of the university, issued this statement: “I’ve long had a policy of not responding to anonymous personal attacks,” he wrote in an email response. “It’s a shame that people would waste their money on such ads instead of supporting scholarships for our students.”